Manufactured and mobile homes are produced in a factory-like setting, remote from the location where the home will ultimately be placed. Such homes often include a supporting subframe of steel I-beams that run the length of the home, upon which a frame for the home is assembled. The combination of the subframe and frame allows the home to be picked up and moved, generally from its point of manufacture, to its point of use as a home. Thus, a mobile home may be though of as a movable module. Depending on the design of the home, a single module might be all that is required for the completed home. The size of a module is normally limited by the method by which it is to be moved, so it is common to combine two or more modules to create a home larger than the largest movable module. Each module includes its own frame and subframe, and is separately movable to allow the modules to be placed next to each other as necessary, and then joined together. For example, the modular construction of a conventional home with a peak roof might be divided along the peak to create a left and right module which are separately manufactured and then abutted and fastened together at the final location for the home.
The completed modules are moved from the factory to the final location by attaching wheels to the steel I-beam subframe. Alternatively, the module may be placed on a trailer. The module is then towed by truck to its destination, where it must be attached to the ground, generally by placing the module or modules on a cement foundation. In some installations, the foundation is built so that a delivering truck can drive through the foundation, thus dragging the module to a position directly above the foundation. The wheels are then removed and the module is lowered onto the foundation with minimal effort. However, this is not workable on steeply sloped property, nor on property on which it is otherwise physically impossible to pull the truck directly through the foundation.
Accordingly, systems have been developed to lift and move home modules from a position that is accessible by truck, to a position that overlies the foundation. Examples of such systems are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,887,083 and 4,352,628.